Hypnotherapy Hypnosis Counselling Psychotherapy Sydney
Definitions
Click on the links below to find out more about each one.
What is Hypnotherapy?
A Brief History of Hypnosis
Modern Clinical Hypnotherapy
What is Psychotherapy?
What is NLP?
What is Counselling?
What is Hypnotherapy?
Hypnotherapy is a clinically efficient way of focusing the mind. It is the unconscious mind that holds all the knowledge that you have ever learned. Hypnosis can help the individual access those unconscious resources.
A Brief History of Hypnosis
Hypnosis is what we culturally call the trance-like relationship between two or more people, and even in self-hypnosis our state changes as we alter the way the different parts of ourselves interrelate. Each of us are not only bound by our personal interpretation of what hypnosis is, but also our cultural understanding. Moving from one culture or time to another changes the classification of what may or may not constitute hypnosis.
Chinese medicine recognises over 5000 years of hypnotic relationships between healers and patients. The Egyptians experienced Temple Sleep, which was induced and identified by priests as a special healing and enlightening state. In ancient Greece, Asclepian dream healing could also contextually be identified as hypnosis. Moses, Jesus, Mohammed, Ghengis Khan, Richard the Lionheart, Napoleon, Hitler, Churchill, and Billy Graham all practised hypnosis from a socio-psychological perspective and expansionist point of view. Tribal medicine men, witchdoctors, Hindu fakirs, Indian yogi and Persian magi have all practised their own forms of hypnosis, either consciously or unconsciously, not necessarily having identified it as hypnosis.
Generally this ability to entrance and utilise that special focused relationship has remained in the hands of spiritual leaders, priests, healers and philosophers. Hypnosis has been a tool that many civilisations have used, either to control the many or guide, cure and develop the individual. References to anything vaguely similar to stage hypnosis for entertainment before the past 200 years are hard to find. However, magicians have used hypnotic components in the way they work, throughout the ages, to perpetuate their myths of mystical powers.
The first high-profile use of hypnosis in our modern records is with the physician Anton Mesmer (1734-1815). His theory of animal magnetism included the passing of hands over parts of the subject's body, which was supposed to effect a cure. His patients believed that he was transferring a magnetic force or invisible fluid into them that would travel around their bodies to dispel illness. This force could be stored in many objects and receptacles to be used when needed, and could be transferred either through the hands or sometimes a metal wand. Far from being purely the result of the placebo effect, Mesmer believed that such a force actually existed. He wrote a very important scientific paper considering magnetic influences on the movements of the sun, moon and planets and on human health.
Towards the end of the first half of the 19th century, animal magnetism spread as far as Italy, Spain, Corfu, throughout the rest of Europe and Scandinavia, and even Brazil. This spread was patchy and, at times, encountered resistance from the Catholic church, which believed that the clairvoyant elements of trance work needed to be prevented. In Rome and Naples animal magnetism was banned and in Lombardy only medical professionals were allowed to practise it. (Taken from Investigating Stage Hypnosis by Tracie O'Keefe ©1998). BACK TO TOP
Modern Clinical Hypnotherapy
There are many kinds of clinical hypnotherapies practised in the world today, based on various psychotherapeutic philosophies. What is important for you to know is that a doctor of clinical hypnotherapy has trained for many years to a very high standard of practice. Because someone is a medical doctor or has a PhD in psychology, it does not necessarily mean that they are sufficiently qualified to practise hypnosis. I believe that hypnotherapists should be trained specifically in hypnotherapy as a clinical discipline. Only in this way can clients going for hypnotherapy be certain that the help they get will be of the very highest standard, and that they are safe and confident in finding a way forward in their lives. BACK TO TOP
What is Psychotherapy?
This is an interactive relationship between human beings, where one helps another. Professional psychotherapists are trained to help people to look at their situation from another angle. Having new insights helps people solve their problems naturally.
As a psychotherapist my job entails helping people rearrange their thought patterns towards being comfortable with who and what they are. Many people think of psychotherapy as lasting many years and being very intrusive, but with Brief Integrative Psychotherapy people are out of the therapy room as soon as possible.
Ericksonianism
is as much a philosophy as it is a clinical way of carrying out psychotherapy
and attempts to help the person utilise and rely on their own resources.
Of course, there are always times in all of our lives when we believe
that we don't have the ability to deal with our thoughts, histories and
futures. Ericksonian psychotherapists, however, are specifically trained
to help people
to
reconnect with their natural abilities to be well and happy, and stay
that
way. BACK TO TOP
What is NLP?
Neuro-Linguistic Programming is the fastest growing psychology in the world. It is based on three of the world's most eminent therapists' methods: Milton Erickson, Fritz Perls, and Virginia Satir. These methods can create fast change work, helping people resolve their problems painlessly. During the course students are taught some NLP techniques and learn to understand their origins and the ways they work. BACK TO TOP
What is Counselling?
This is when a professionally trained counsellor assists someone to resolve their problems and helps them develop a stronger sense of self-worth and capability. Many of us at times need a little help to find a personal sense of direction that can best serve our needs and desires.
Dr Tracie O'Keefe's experience in counselling started in the early 1970s and throughout the years she has worked in many fields, on both a voluntary and a professional basis. She has worked with the homeless, people with HIV and AIDS, sex industry workers, members of the gender-diverse community, in the health systems and corporate sector and in the area of couples and family therapy.
As a counsellor much of her work deals with one-to-one counselling of individuals from all walks of life, who have identified themselves as having difficulties. Some people come into the practice in an extremely upset and confused state, looking for help and guidance. Others simply come along to work through some issues in their life or relationships that they would like to operate in a better or more effective way. Other people may find themselves unable to cope emotionally and they need someone to help them get back on the road to happiness.
Counselling is a space where people can feel safe talking through their problems in confidence, knowing that the time is exclusively dedicated to their needs. In counselling, a totally non-judgmental atmosphere is set up, so whatever background the person comes from or situations they bring, we find a way forward to help them.
What is Couples and Family Counselling?
This is when a counsellor helps couples who have relationship difficulties, are not getting on, or have come to an impasse in their relationships. It is also when members of a family are having difficulty with making the family work or with one particular member of their family. Because the counsellor can see things from an objective and non-partisan perspective it allows them to offer people a number of new options to resolve their situation and move forward to a more harmonious relationship. We use a systemic type of couples and family counselling therapy that focuses not on the problems but on what might be the solutions.
People often ask: "But what if my partner or family member does not want to come to the session?" Well then we work with the person or persons that do want to come to the session and help them manage the situation better.
Solution-focused
counselling is particularly centred around people going forward in a positive
way and not dwelling on the past.
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TO TOP
Please note that no GST is charged on these services as we operate under naturopathy services. If you are claiming these fees as a business expense, then there will be GST added to them.
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